We’ll get you started here. This new plastic is transparent, it conducts electricity and it bends. It also has a really long name: poly(4-glycidyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl). A touchscreen (that doesn’t break so easily) is one obvious use. But you are probably already thinking about a half-dozen other possibilities (because you’ve got that kind of mind)!

But we know, you are also the kind of person who likes a challenge – and there IS a challenge with this plastic. At the moment, it only conducts electricity over VERY small distances – so you’ll have to tackle that.

But imagine the possibilities (made possible by polymers produced through petrochemicals, in this case propylene, and you). In addition to a more durable screen for smartphones, Gizmodo suggests batteries and medical gear might be landing spots for this new material.

If you’d like to go straight to the science, you can go straight to Science, where the original research was published (though if you are not already a subscriber, you will have to buy the article). And, good luck. Let us know what you come up with.

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